Revamped Vibe, Leno's 'Vette, and an Extra-Fast SLR

A new Vibe, BMW opens a museum, a $1.4 million Maybach, Mini builds a sport-ute.

TONY QUIROGA

Jan 1, 2008

Good Vibes: The 2009 Pontiac had its moment in the spotlight at the Los Angeles auto show and is set to go on sale at the beginning of 2008. Once again it’s virtually a twin of the Toyota Matrix, which is itself based on the Toyota Corolla. Pontiac promises optional all-wheel drive and a GT model with a 159-hp version of the familiar 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. Base models will get the same engine in 132-hp form. Pontiac is not ready to reveal prices, but we don’t expect the new Vibe to command much of a premium over the current car’s $17,395 base price.

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Leno’s Vette: At the SEMA show and on the eve of the official announcement regarding the car formerly known as the Corvette Blue Devil and now likely to be known as the Corvette ZR-1, Tonight Show host Jay Leno showed off his own “environmentally friendly” vision of Corvette performance. Dubbed the C6RS, Leno’s car features a wide-body kit that mimics the C6.R race car and an E85-burning 8.2-liter version of the Z06’s 7.0-liter pushrod V-8. The part that makes an 8.2-liter engine sort of environmentally friendly is the ability to burn up 85-percent ethanol. We’re guessing it’s insanely fast and has in excess of 600 horsepower and that the Corvette’s No. 1 fanboy, Larry Webster, is figuring out where on his office wall a poster of it will look best.

Super-duper supercar: Just in case Mercedes SLR McLaren owners find their cars’ track prowess wanting, Mercedes is providing the track-ready SLR-R Clubsport. Power is up from a mere 617 horsepower to a more interesting 730, and this SLR is also supposedly lighter than the standard version. For the really brave and for Hollywood celebrities looking for the publicity that a spectacular high-speed car crash provides, the SLR-R features no electronic driving aids. Lindsay and Paris, your car just arrived.

Sheik Maybach: Maybach unveiled the 62 Landaulet model at the faraway auto show in Dubai. Based on the seriously humongous 62 sedan, the Landaulet features a convertible top exclusively for the rear-seat passengers that starts a few inches behind the B-pillars. The doors and the roofline of the 62 remain intact, as the fabric top only replaces the center section of the roof and the rear glass. The powertrain is the same 604-hp twin-turbo V-12 from the 62S. Price? Like the rear-seat headroom, the sky is the limit. Maybach expects to build 20 of the Landaulets and hopes 20 mentally healthy people will be willing to cough up $1.4 million for each.

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Pint-sized sport-ute: Mini has plans to further expand its lineup with a small-sized SUV. The sport-utility will follow the second-generation Mini Cooper convertible that is expected to debut in mid-2008. Based loosely on an enlarged version of the current Mini architecture and styled to look like a Mini Cooper, the sport-ute will have its own floorpan to facilitate the installation of an all-wheel-drive system. Look for it sometime in ’09.